CLAIM: Russian President Vladimir Putin offered assistance in Rene Baterbonia’s case.
RATING: FALSE
A fake quote misattributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he supposedly offered assistance to solve the late student athlete Rene Baterbonia’s case, has spread on Facebook.
Flagged content: The fake graphic bore an “official statement” and “a message from Russia” header, and used the official logo of the Russian Mission to the OSCE, to falsely imply that its content came from a legitimate source.
- The Facebook user captioned the fake graphic with “you are a blessing to all Filipinos Mr. Putin #JusticeForRene, #JusticeForDivine, #WeWillNotStopForBobet.”
- It was posted to a Facebook group dedicated to Baterbonia.
Our debunk: A search of the Kremlin website, the official web portal of the President of the Russian Federation, yielded no results regarding any statement made by Putin about Baterbonia.
- The most recent engagement between Putin and the Philippines was when he and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered a joint statement following the Asean-Russia Summit on June 18 in Kazan, Russia.
- The joint statement did not mention Baterbonia.
Rewind: On June 8, Ateneo de Manila University confirmed that two of its student athletes, Baterbonia and Divine Adili, had died in a drowning incident during a team-building activity of the Blue Eagles basketball coaching staff in Dipaculao, Aurora.
- Blue Eagles coach Tab Baldwin was placed under public scrutiny following the incident, and he resigned on June 15 after a public apology.
- Following an inquiry into his employment status, the Department of Labor and Employment found Baldwin and Ateneo liable for work permit violations, ordering them to pay a ₱4.9 million fine.
Why we fact-checked this: The fake graphic has amassed 3,500 reactions, 428 comments, and 239 shares.
- While some recognized the graphic as fake, most people in the comments section still believed Putin had made the statement.
- These commenters thanked Putin and expressed hope that justice would soon be served for Baterbonia.
Spot the fake: Baterbonia has repeatedly been a subject of online disinformation since the incident, and PressOne.PH fact-checked related claims before.
- Be cautious of unverified posts about Baterbonia, and always verify information against official sources before sharing.
- When a statement is attributed to a foreign leader or official, the best way to verify it is to check the official website or verified channels of their government. Leigh San Diego
PressOne.PH is a verified signatory of the Code of Principles of the International Fact -Checking Network (IFCN) at Poynter. The code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network is a series of commitments organizations abide by to promote excellence in fact-checking. We believe nonpartisan and transparent fact-checking can be a powerful instrument of accountability journalism..
PressOne.PH believes that fact-checking is essential to combating misinformation and disinformation, and in informing and educating citizens and voters. Read more of PressOne.PH’s Fact-Checking Policy by clicking here.
The public is welcome to send feedback or requests for fact-checks at factcheck@pressone.ph.
If you believe PressOne.PH is violating the Code of Principles of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), you may submit a complaint directly to the IFCN website: https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/complaints-policy
FACT-CHECK: CBCP president did not comment on Sara Duterte’s SALN, bank records
A quote card attributed to Gilbert Garcera, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and archbishop of Lipa, falsely claimed that he had commented on Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth uncovered during her impeachment trial.
FACT-CHECK: Supreme Court did not junk impeachment case against VP Duterte
Multiple pro-Duterte Facebook pages have repeatedly shared a false claim that the Supreme Court had dismissed the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.
FACT-CHECK: Sen. Mark Villar did not criticize VP Duterte, Senate minority bloc
An AI-generated graphic with a manufactured quote attributed to Sen. Mark Villar, falsely insinuating that he had publicly criticized the Senate minority and the vice president, has been racking up significant engagement on social media.
